An Aside: Sifting Through The “Fog”

October 9, 2009

Authored By: Fernando M. Pinguelo and Lisa Montesano

e-Lesson Learned: A quick lesson as to what "Cloud Computing" is, and why you should know.

Twitter This: Sifting through the fog: What is cloud computing and why should you know? http://ellblog.com/?p=1701

Cloud Computing is an IT phenomenon that has been gaining notoriety in the world of technology. Many of you may have heard of Amazon Web Services and Google Apps but not realized exactly what they are. After sifting through the “fog” of vast amounts of highly technical information, Cloud Computing essentially boils down to this: Access to a network of servers and connections provided by a third party with large cost benefits.

Generally, this network of servers, referred to as the “cloud,” allows users access to resources and data as needed and at extremely high processing power. The resources of an entire network, as opposed to those of a single computer, are made available to users in a method analogous to a supercomputer or virtual network server.

Private companies, such as Terremark Worldwide, provide the infrastructures for cloud computing. Users do not own the equipment that makes up the network available to them. Instead, they rent access to these networks from private companies on either a subscription or pay-per-use basis. The private companies then extend the capacity and capabilities of their existing infrastructures over the network for use by their users. The key to cloud computing is that it allows companies to increase their available capacity and add capabilities at any point in time and at a low cost because they are able to do so without having to invest time and money into building new infrastructures for themselves.

Cloud Computing offers many benefits for its users. Initially, it has large cost reduction benefits – a feature that may make it increasingly desirable given the current state of the economy. It also proves useful in sorting through vast amounts of data. Finally, in addition to its reliability, cloud computing also provides flexibility by enabling users to have access to the system by way of a web browser no matter where employees are or what kind of device they use.

However, now that you know the silver lining of Cloud Computing, it is important to note its drawbacks, too – because the infrastructures are provided by third parties and are made available over the internet, security is always an issue.

Cloud Computing is quickly growing in popularity and is even being employed by and gaining support from the federal government, which is in the process of moving its federal information portal, USA.gov, to this type of infrastructure. The government sees the obvious benefits of Cloud Computing as a way to save costs; and although data security is of particular salience for the government, sites such as USA.gov are “the perfect candidate[s] for cloud computing” because the data published thereon is intended to be available to the public anyway.

So is Cloud Computing right for your company? That’s a judgment call that only you can make; but luckily enough, there are many resources available over the internet (of all things!) to help you make a decision.

For example, and discussion of many current issues, see Information Week’s Cloud Computing blog: http://www.informationweek.com/cloud-computing/

Image, courtesy http://bhopu.com/Images/20080709_Amazon_Ec2_Cloud_Computing.jpg

Article posted on October 9, 2009 at 10:49 AM |